Astoria Jul 29, 2014 Some Ditmars Updates, July 2014 I took a walk down Ditmars over the weekend to check on some things that are pending in the opening department. The first thing I stopped at was the Caffe (…) Share this Scoop by Meg Cotner total shares! Twitter Facebook Email Print I took a walk down Ditmars over the weekend to check on some things that are pending in the opening department. The first thing I stopped at was the Caffe (…) by Meg Cotner Share this Scoop total shares! Twitter Facebook Email Print Related scoops More Delicious Details on Nature’s Taste on Ditmars Update on the Natural Foods Shop, Nature’s Taste, 35-0 (...) I took a walk down Ditmars over the weekend to check on some things that are pending in the opening department. The first thing I stopped at was the Caffe Bene coming to the old Jackson Hewitt space at 31-30 Ditmars. There seems to be constant sounds coming out of there, so they are working on it, though I peeked in and saw that the place still seems pretty much at the gutted stage. Next I stopped by Nature’s Taste at 35-07 Ditmars. The place looks ready to go—shelves, coolers, and display cases are in, just no product. I did see that they have a Facebook page, finally. I sauntered past Francis Cafe, AKA Le Gamin Astoria, and saw some of the tasty things they had on special this weekend. The people inside seemed to be enjoying themselves quite nicely. Finally, I stopped in at the new mystery restaurant going in at 38-01 Ditmars, the old Rosario’s Pizza. As you can see, they’ve put a facade on the outside, compete with doric-type columns and faux stone. Here’s what it used to look like: Photo credit: Google Maps. I asked the guys what was going in there and they repeated what we’ve heard for weeks—Italian restaurant. I asked what they would be serving and the answer was “everything.” I did manage to step inside and see the space, which is still way under construction. The guy inside said they’d serve everything from pizza to meats to poultry. Wine, too. I saw a pizza oven on the left, some semblance of a bar, and a dining room that was smaller than I expected. They said it would be open in about a month. So there you have it. Twitter Facebook Email Print Caffe BeneFrancis CafeItalian RestaurantLe Gamin AstoriaNature's Taste About Meg Cotner Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver. Related scoops More Delicious Details on Nature’s Taste on Ditmars Update on the Natural Foods Shop, Nature’s Taste, 35-0 (...) 3 Comments Kevin August 2nd, 2014 Any word on a liquor license for Le Gamin Astoria? Also, the new Italian restaurant is called “Grano’s” Reply Ron July 29th, 2014 Also re old Rosario’s pizza space: they painted that facade a hideous salmon/red color today. Hope that’s not the final color!! Yikes Reply Joan July 29th, 2014 Re the old Rosario’s Pizza space: with such an elaborate facade, let’s hope they’re not using flocked red wallpaper in the interior! I also noticed the almost-open OK Cafe on 33rd Street off of Ditmars, next to Amenda’s nail salon. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Kevin August 2nd, 2014 Any word on a liquor license for Le Gamin Astoria? Also, the new Italian restaurant is called “Grano’s” Reply
Ron July 29th, 2014 Also re old Rosario’s pizza space: they painted that facade a hideous salmon/red color today. Hope that’s not the final color!! Yikes Reply
Joan July 29th, 2014 Re the old Rosario’s Pizza space: with such an elaborate facade, let’s hope they’re not using flocked red wallpaper in the interior! I also noticed the almost-open OK Cafe on 33rd Street off of Ditmars, next to Amenda’s nail salon. Reply